Conscious Choice: Clean and Green Travel

September 2004 | Co-op America’s Living Green

Clean and Green Travel

Dear Co-op America, I often travel for my job, and worry about the global warming emissions I’m causing. Do you have any advice for how I can offset my travel’s impact? — Traveling Man in New York City

SINCE YOU’RE a frequent traveler, you might consider joining the Better World Club (866-304-7540, www.betterworldclub.com), a green alternative to AAA. It provides nationwide roadside assistance, travel insurance, maps and custom trip planning, car rental and hotel discounts, and other travel services while promoting green options. For example, members get free carbon offsets for up to two domestic and one international airline flight per year, discounts on hybrid car rentals, referrals and discounts for green hotels, and more.

But you don’t have to be a member to travel green. The Better World Club also offers its Travel Cool! carbon offsets for anyone willing to pay an extra $11 (domestic). Either book your ticket through the club and ask for the offset cost to be added, or book your ticket on the Internet (or another travel agency) and simply pay Better World for the offset. The money goes to the agency’s foundation, which funds locally based carbon dioxide offset projects.

If your destination has an EV Rental (877-EV-RENTAL, www.evrental.com), you can rent a hybrid or electric car instead of a conventional gas-powered automobile. Or better yet, stay in a location where you can take advantage of public transportation.

Finally, consider staying at a locally owned hotel or bed and breakfast to keep your dollars in the community you’re visiting. Or, patronize a hotel that takes extra care to minimize its environmental impact. Consult the Green Hotels Association (713-789-8889, www.greenhotels.com).

Homemade Green Cleaners

Dear Co-op America, I’d like to make my own eco-friendly cleaners. Do you know where I can find recipes? — Jean in Taos, NM

ANNIE BERTHOLD-BOND’s Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999) is full of make-it-yourself recipes for everything from window cleaner and body moisturizer to car polish and wood stain. And Karen Logan’s Clean House, Clean Planet (Pocket, 1997) offers recipes for all sorts of household cleaners.

Logan offers this recipe for a nontoxic, all-purpose cleaner she calls “Alice’s Wonder Spray”: Mix two tablespoons of vinegar with one teaspoon of borax in a spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with very hot water (purified or distilled is best). Shake the borax until it’s dissolved. Then, add one-quarter cup of liquid soap. To scent, add 10-15 drops of an all-natural essential oil (a combination of lavender and lemon works well). Borax, which can be found in your supermarket’s laundry section is an eye irritant and can be harmful if swallowed, so keep it away from children. One batch of Alice’s Wonder Spray should last six months.

Unclog Your Drain

Dear Co-op America, Is there a less-toxic way to unplug a clogged drain? — Bob in Biloxi

FORTUNATELY, there is. Pour one cup of washing soda (available in the laundry section of most grocery stores) down your drain, followed by three cups of boiling water. Do this two or three times. If your drain is still clogged, add one cup of vinegar.

Living Green is brought to you by Co-op America, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that provides green living, purchasing, and investing tips and resources. To join Co-op America and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, contact 800/58-GREEN. If you have a question for Living Green, click to e-mail.

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